The future of Tonbridge Volume I

Concept Presentation for the former Beales department store in Tonbridge, Kent.

(By Tonbridge Civic Society).

September 2022

Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

Who we are.

Founded in 1963, the Tonbridge Civic Society now has over 450 members. It is an apolitical group with membership open to all who wish to encourage conservation of the town’s historical features, enhancement of its present character, and excellence in planning for its future.

We have prepared some proposals for discussion with Sainsbury’s and Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council to re-imagine the empty former Beales department store into a vibrant co-worker space and thriving covered market, with the existing public carpark modified to become a multi-purpose plaza.

Preliminary discussions have taken place with TMBC and Sainsbury’s prior to presentation to the Tonbridge Community Forum.

The proposal contained within this document have not been approved by TMBC or Sainsbury’s. They are intended as a vision of what could happen in a specific part of Tonbridge with the right kind of collaboration.

What we propose is potentially the first phase of a collaborative, sustainable approach to retail and urban enhancements throughout Tonbridge.

September 2022

Ton comm forum.pdf

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Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

Our general understanding of Sainsbury’s.

Progress against priorities

Financials

Strategic highlights

Sainsbury’s for Better Plan for Plan Better: bold commitmen Progress against priorities Progress against priorities

J Sainsbury PLC was founded in 1869

Financials Financials

Strategic highlights Strategic highlights

Plan bold commitmen Planfor forBetter: Better: bold Healthy & commitmen

as a fresh food retailer in London. In its 2020/21 financial year the company made

• Putting our customers first and doing

£28.6 billion in retail sales.

sustainable diets the right thing for our colleagues, our suppliers and every community we

&& and At leastHealthy 83% healthy Healthy serve. better for you diets sales sustainable sustainable diets tonnage by 2025 • Food back at the heart of Sainsbury’s At least 83% healthy and At least 83% healthy and betterbrands for you sales food, • Portfolio supporting better for you sales Reduction in tonnage by 2025 tonnage by 2025 and delivering for customers

The impact of change in grocery shopping behaviours as a result of coronavirus lock downs was first registered in April 2020, when sales increased by 8.4%. Sales

Carbon emissions

continued to hit new highs and increased

shareholders in their own right

by 13.5% in June 2020, compared to

Sainsbury’s’ competitors, such as

inin ReduceReduction Scope 1 & 2 emissions Reduction • Structurally lower cost to sales ratio to Net Zero by 2035 Carbon emissions Carbon emissions 3 emissions • Reduce PursueScope partnerships or out source Reduceby Scope & 2 emissions 30% 1by Reduce Scope 1 &2030 2 emissions where faster to Net Zero by 2035 to Net Zero by 2035 Scopedelivery, 3 emissions • Reduce Robust consistent Reduceprofit Scope 3 emissions by 30% by 2030 Championing by 30%cash by flow 2030 dependable

Lidl and Aldi, have continuously

• 8 key metrics, consistent reporting,

the previous year. Since February 2021, growth has slowed as shopping behaviour stabilise.

Reduc Reduce fo Redu byFood 50%

Food

Reduce fo Reduce by 50% by 50%

Commu Partne

human rights

Championing Committed to championing linkedChampioning to incentives human rights human rights

experienced sales growth over the past years, while traditional British grocery

human rights

retailers have struggled to perform in

Committed to championing Committed to championing human rights human rights

the same way.

57 J Sainsbury plc Preliminary Results 2021/22

September 2022

Reduc Food

Ton comm forum.pdf

57 J Sainsbury plc J Sainsbury plc 57 Preliminary Results 2021/22 Preliminary Results 2021/22

Commu Leave am Comm positive im Partne Partn communities source Leave am Leave a m positive im positive im communities communitie source sourc

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Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

Re imagining retail.

Department stores: Extinction or Evolution?

Excerpts from Savils Commercial Research and Mix Interiors magazine.

Million Sq Ft of ground floor retain voids nationally

Examples of who, what and where the re imaging process is taking place.

• Kingston upon Thames: Frasers Group, has planning granted in December 2020 to repurpose an existing

“The collapse of BHS gave the market a stark warning of what could happen to the brand that time forgot. Four years later a quarter of their stores remain vacant and with a tranche of department stores likely to follow, is re purposing the

Million Sq Ft

high street store to become a multi-format,

anticipated to become redundant by the end of the decade

apartments above

answer?”.

“Multiple stores have already either closed, or are in the process of being considered for alternative uses via re purposing, repositioning, right sizing, or redevelopment”.

“The process can be slow, but the proposition is an exciting one. What better way to breathe life back into town centres by improving and enlivening spaces right at the heart of the consumer offer. If we are to genuinely improve towns, cities and shopping centres, we need

Million Sq Ft of upper floor or basement retail space, much of which is under utilised.

• Wandsworth: Gravity is taking the Debenhams department store to create a new 80,000 sq ft multiformat leisure concept.

• Stockport: where there is an oversupply of retail but an under supply of offices, the M&S is being converted to an 80,000 sq ft co-working space called Stok.

• Sheffield: The former Co-op department store has

Million Sq Ft of low-grade office stock within retail places

been re purposed as co-working space and food hall Kommune.

• Anthem: A public members club, is looking to acquire department store space that will provide facilities for workspace, meeting rooms, food halls, bars

large spaces that can be re imagined as something more

and cafés, competitive socialising and fitness and

useful or that is lacking from that place”.

September 2022

multi-floor open plan store with 33 residential

wellbeing.

Ton comm forum.pdf

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Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

Tonbridge and the surrounding area.

Tonbridge is a market town, and therefore well connected with neighbouring townships and about 47 kms south from London.

It’s central location makes it accessible to

40km

LONDON

travel in all directions by train and roads to the nearby settlements. The town is surrounded by a Green Belt, and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to the north and south. Tonbridge sits at the

20km

heart of a beautiful area of Kent, between the High Weald and Kent Downs AONB. SEVENOAKS APPROXIMATE POPULATION SIZES

WESTERHAM HADLOW

TONBRIDGE 41,617 SEVENOAKS 29,506 TUNBRIDGE WELLS

56,000

MAIDSTONE

120,425

OVER 250,000 PEOPLE WITHIN A 30 MINUTE DRIVE

September July 2022 2022

10km

TONBRIDGE TUNBRIDGE WELLS

MAIDSTONE

EAST PECKHAM

District / Borough council populations: Tonbridge & Malling 132,600 Sevenoaks 121,400 Tunbridge Wells 118,900 Maidstone 173,100 Total population of Kent 1,589.100

Ton comm forum.pdf AVA.Sainsburys.pdf

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Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

The current situation.

The Angel Centre was created in the early 1980’s. The building currently consists of The Angel Centre, a leisure facility and two large retail units, both on long

RACECOURSE PARK

CASTLE

leases to J. Sainsbury’s PLC. (All owned by RIVER MEDWAY

HI GH

ST RE ET

Tonbridge & Malling Leisure Trust)

Sainsbury’s Tonbridge supermarket is at the opposite end of the building to the Angel Centre. In between there is a large vacant retail unit that has been empty for

TRAIN STATION

over 2 years, following the closure of the • ANGEL LEISURE CENTRE

Beales department store.

• VACANT FORMER DEPARTMENT STORE • SAINSBURY’S TONBRIDGE We are aware that there were very ambitious plans in the past for the redevelopment of the whole Angel Centre site, with Sainsbury’s as the key tenant. We believe a more modest investment could have an equally transformative effect for the benefit of the whole community.

September 2022

Ton comm forum.pdf

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Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

The concept.

We believe that Sainsbury’s supermarket in Tonbridge is in need of modernisation and a decision on what to do with the large vacant retail unit left when Beales department

Existing connections to/from the High Street

store closed.

On the following pages we propose a more ambitious, unique proposal which is considered in collaboration with Tonbridge

1 4

and Malling Borough Council.

1

Former Beales department store is

3

refurbished to become the Tonbridge

2

Covered Market and co-worker office space.

2

Part of the existing carpark is re-

5

modelled as a public plaza in front of the Covered Market.

3

Phased refurbishment of The Angel

4

Phased refurbishment of Sainsbury’s

5

In the future, mixed use re-

Centre.

Tonbridge.

development with residential units facing the public plaza.

September 2022

Ton comm forum.pdf

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Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

The Modern Market Experience.

Covered markets, if designed and operated efficiently, provide a unique food, drink and shopping destination that offers a vibrant and eclectic fusion of hand crafted, hard to find and general everyday items.

Gloriously innovative markets have the potential for springing up all over the UK in small towns and cities.

Independent local traders would come from a wide and varied range that could include local businesses in the food and drink industry which already have a national presence. Kent, for example, has the majority of the UK’s vineyards, with just over 450 at the last official count.

Typical examples could be: Street food vendors . Local wine producers . Cured meet and cheese specialists . Fruit and vegetables . Butcher .International food

Images from Shrewsbury Market Hall

ingredients stalls . Picture framing . Clothes repair . Cobbler and Key cutter . Bike repair .

Book shop . Record shop . Florist . IT repair

September 2022

What we propose is that Sainsbury’s consider the possibility of a more considered refurbishment where a covered market where Sainsbury’s and independent traders are both part of the mix.

Ton comm forum.pdf

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Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

Estimated Ground floor layout (Based on available information)

= 41 permanent secure market units with roller shutter

September 2022

= 24 demountable market stalls

Ton comm forum.pdf

-

= 43 rentable storage units

34,519 sq. ft Market Hall + storage

= Cleaning and services

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Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

September 2022

Ton comm forum.pdf

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Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

New ways of working.

Accenture - Fjord Trends 2022: The new fabric of life: “We’ve had two years of disruption to the systems on which society is run, and it’s taking its toll. There are challenging times ahead, but we believe there are also great opportunities to design new systems, and new ways of being”.

“People are fundamentally thinking differently about their sense of agency over their own lives, supported by new opportunities like the side-hustle economy. The rise in individualism and independence has major implications for organisations, relationships with employees and consumer-creators.

Businesses should keep this in mind when defining their value proposition to attract and retain employees”.

What we propose is that Sainsbury’s consider the possibility of a more considered refurbishment where a co-worker space might be part of the mix.

September 2022

Ton comm forum.pdf

11

Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

Estimated Mezzanine level layout

(Based on available information)

-

7,535 sq. ft + services

The Market would provide 7,535 sq. feet of Co-working office space Co-working space offers a comfortable, friendly office solution allowing professionals, free-lancers and creatives the convenience of meeting facilities and shared office spaces.

We propose cost effective and flexible co-working office space with high speed internet, ample parking space and modern shared office facilities equipped with hot-desks, meeting rooms, breakout/kitchen areas and direct access to the amazing Tonbridge Covered Market.

The Market co-working space would be strategically located within short walking distance to Tonbridge train station and with plenty of nearby car parking provided by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council. It takes an average of 46 minutes to travel from Tonbridge to London by train, over a distance of around 28 miles (45 km). There are normally 294 trains per day travelling from Tonbridge to London.

We believe that a minimum of 80 workstations could be provided based upon the information available to us at the time of preparing this document.

This would be the place to work, meet, mingle and network with like-minded individuals.

September 2022

Ton comm forum.pdf

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Work.Eat.Drink.Shop.Relax.

Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

Food

Drink

Shop

Markets are homes to some of the best

Experience the warmest of welcomes, pull

An amazing variety can be offered. People The existing mezzanine level at the rear

food around. Cuisine from across the

up a chair and soak up the atmosphere in

come and are inspired and surprised.

would be refurbished to provide over

globe, prepared freshly everyday with the

cafes and bars. There’s nowhere better to

They tell their friends and come back for

7,500 square feet of bespoke serviced

best of local ingredients.

meet up with friends and family.

more.

office, space tailored to individual needs.

September 2022

Ton comm forum.pdf

Co -working

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Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

Market Stalls.

Tariffs guide.

• Stall rentals would be affordable with

Unit type:

Deposit:

Monthly rent:

Square metres:

(exl. VAT)

(Approx)

From £300

From £250

10 sq metres

From £550

From £500

20 sq metres

From £250

From £200

9 sq metres

From £400

From £400

19 sq metres

From £100

From £100

6 sq metres

flexible terms, no lease agreement and no hidden charges.

• Flexible terms and conditions by way of a licence agreement or application/

Single fixed market unit

registration form.

• No lease commitment, legal or agency fees, no credit check.

• Monthly payments system with no hidden charges. Easy ways to pay.

Double fixed market unit Single stall Market floor

• No turnover rent or service charge Double stall

deductions.

• Potential room to grow your business.

• Safe, secure environment.

Market floor Stores

(The above values are intended as a guide to possible tariffs based upon 2022 tariffs at Shrewsbury Covered Market)

September 2022

Ton comm forum.pdf

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Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

Opening hours?

It is perhaps unrealistic to think that a Tonbridge Market Hall could be open 7 days per week. Opening hours would need further research and dialogue but similar scale markets to what we would propose tend to have the following opening hours.

Tuesday - Saturday 8am - 4pm with some weekly late night and Sunday opening.

The food and drink vendors that face the public plaza could have different open hours as they are duel aspect facing into the market hall and out to the public plaza.

Ownership and Finance.

Our understanding of the current situation We believe the building itself is owned by Tonbridge & Malling Leisure Trust. Sainsbury’s have a long term lease that covers their supermarket and the former Beales department store.

In order to progress there would need to be a discussion and agreement regarding ultimate ownership, cost of the re-development of the existing building and ongoing operational costs.

From speaking with local Architects and Structural Engineers the general consensus is that the stripping out of the existing building and its re purposing is not a complex or prohibitively costly project in itself.

September 2022

Ton comm forum.pdf

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Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

Preliminary review of income.

We have done little market research into tariffs for market stalls or co-worker units, but below is our low estimate of monthly income, excluding deposit payments: Element:

14 x Single fixed

Monthly:

Units of

(exl. VAT)

measurement:

£3,500

10 sq metres

£13,500

20 sq metres

£7,600

10 sq metres

£4,300

6 sq metres

£15,600

7,535 sq feet total space exl. Welfare = 94 sq feet / person

market units 27 x Double fixed market units 38 x Single stall Market floor

43 x Storage lock-ups

80 workstations within co-worker space @ £195/ desk TOTAL

September 2022

£44,500

Ton comm forum.pdf

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Proposal for the former Beales department store

July 2022

Tonbridge, Kent

Bigger picture collaborations for future discussions.

September 2022

Ton comm forum.pdf

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Concept presentation for the former Beales department store in Tonbridge, Kent.

Thank you for your time.